Mother Killed by Drunk Driver Going the Wrong Way on Highway

Jody Chavez was a wife and a mother. Her 2-year-old child was in the back seat of her car when a wrong-way driver traveling on Interstate 70 in Wheat Ridge, Colorado struck her vehicle head-on before dawn on March 13, 2025. Chavez died at the scene. Her toddler survived with minor injuries. On April 3, 2026, Jefferson County District Judge Phillip McNulty sentenced Jian Bin Chen, 35, to 12 years in prison - the maximum available on the vehicular homicide charge.

What Happened on I-70

Colorado State Patrol and Wheat Ridge Police responded to a two-vehicle crash on eastbound Interstate 70 near Ward Road at approximately 5 a.m. Multiple motorists had already called 911 to report a vehicle driving the wrong way in the eastbound lanes. Surveillance footage showed drivers flashing their lights at Chen as he continued in the wrong direction. Vehicle data confirmed he did not slow down before the collision.

Chen’s blood alcohol content was recorded at 0.150 - nearly twice the legal limit - two hours after the crash. The legal limit in Colorado is 0.08. Chen was arrested at the scene. He later pleaded guilty on February 25, 2026, to eight counts including vehicular homicide and reckless driving. He also pleaded guilty to a second DUI offense.

A Prior Record

Chen had been convicted of DUI in 2019. In 2020, he pleaded guilty to evading a court-ordered ignition interlock device - a requirement placed on drivers following a DUI conviction. Despite that history, he was behind the wheel again on the morning he killed Jody Chavez. Prosecutors noted at sentencing that Chen received the maximum sentence on the vehicular homicide charge specifically - a reflection, they said, of his prior record and the circumstances of the crash.

A Husband Without His Wife

Steven Chavez addressed the court at sentencing. His words were direct. “She loved being a wife and a mom,” he told Judge McNulty, according to the Denver Gazette. “To Mr. Chen, twelve years sounds like a long time. But in reality, twelve years is a drop in the bucket. At least he gets to go home to his family. My wife will never get to come home.” Jody Chavez’s 2-year-old child was treated for minor injuries at the scene and released. The child was present in the vehicle when the crash occurred.

The Sentence

Chen was sentenced on April 3, 2026, to 12 years in prison. The sentence represents the statutory maximum on the vehicular homicide count. He will serve the sentence in the Colorado Department of Corrections. Under Colorado law, he will be subject to mandatory parole following his release. The First Judicial District Attorney’s Office confirmed the sentencing in a press release. The case drew attention in the Denver area as part of ongoing conversations about repeat DUI offenders and the legal tools available to hold them accountable. Jody Chavez was a mother. Her child was two years old and sitting in the back seat.

References: Man Sentenced for Fatal Wheat Ridge DUI Crash That Killed Mother | Golden Deadly DUI Crash Sentence